Moral Victories - The Story of Savielly Tartakower

The life of Savielly Tartakower was marked by paradox. He was a passionate man who fought for the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1914-18 and then for the Allies against Germany in the Second World War. He changed nationalities four times, being born Russian and becoming in turn Austrian, Ukrainian, Polish and French. A debonair gambler, poet and wit, he was yet haunted throughout his life by a youthful indiscretion in pre-war Vienna. And he was also a world-class chess master who left a legacy of beautiful play and fascinating accounts of the game. In life inscrutable, half a century after his death some of Tartakower's mystery can now be fathomed.

David Lovejoy was born in London and educated at Oxford University. He travelled to Australia in 1970 via the overland route with some watery interludes and a long detour in India. He lives near Byron Bay on the coast of northern NSW and works on the local newspaper. As an amateur chess player his highest achievement was the championship of Queensland many years ago.